At the beginning of this class, we talked about reducing harm–colonial harm in particular, and especially harm done to marginalized, racialized, and otherwise vulnerable young people in schools. I have been thinking about several questions in relation to this idea.
Option 1: What might it mean to reduce harm as a teacher in your current context, and in the future, when you return to the classroom? How have you tried to, or how could you, reduce harm for your students?
Option 2: What will you do differently, as a teacher, once you are back in a classroom, after this experience?
Option 3: What educational values have been reaffirmed for you during this crisis? That is, what did you already believe in, that you now believe in even more, and why?
In the words of my mentor during student teaching: care for these kids first, then start teaching. This remote learning experience has reaffirmed that. Every phone call I make home it is just to check on the safety and health of every student and their families first, then the conversation shifts to academic work. I’ve had students sick, student’s parents unfortunately pass, Students whole families wind up sick….It seems rather obtuse to be pushing for why a student didn’t write an essay, or finish a math quiz, or do a science report.
This experience of remote learning I believe will have a huge effect on my school. Like most schools, each student is given an email address, I am already thinking the first week of school next year is going to be dedicated to teaching students how to set up their accounts and a google account along with accessing a google classroom. A lot of the issues have been not remembering passwords, not knowing how to navigate google. I feel accessing an email, using google, learning to write an email, should be the priority of next September in the event that this happens again. So both students and teachers can be prepared if this were to happen again.
Students are frustrated, that is very clear, and I think the teachers in part are to blame. When we have been in virtual IEP meetings, teachers in other subjects have mentioned how the student of attention in this meeting is missing “12 assignments” “15 assignments” “20 assignments” …I can say that this is a HUGE issue that needs to be addressed. Our school preaches rigor, but truthfully is rigor in quality of work and assignments or just quantity? It seems to me that a lot of my colleagues feel it’s the latter of the two. I’m not innocent of this either. I’m always preaching in my class, “The work is never over” not even considering the implications of how that make students feel. I think I need to reconsider what an activity should look like when teaching a skill.
Moving forward I want to approach my curriculum with a constructivist approach that both meet students skillset and interests like Subhani does with the photovisual social justice project and meets state standards. I want to be that teacher. I just finished “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone and would love to pitch that book to my department with a writing activity worked within the unit about student learning about civil rights members that stood up for people from their backgrounds. I certainly know that when I walk in next year, even if I’m teaching the same books, I will be re approaching everything I’ve created beforehand.
I’m combining Option 2 and 3 here.
When I first began my teaching career, I student taught in two placements and had two cooperating teachers who could not have been more different. One was a teacher who put the kids first and foremost, their wants and needs in education, before herself or her plans. She made sure to learn each and every student’s story and needs before she finalized lessons, projects, units. She carefully curated her supplementary texts and materials based on who they are. She fostered a personal relationship with all of them, where their success was equally hers. The second was one who was more about the book than the student. She was an educator who got into teaching through love of literature and writing, and wanting to instill this in children early on. Both were excellent teachers who taught me so many lessons and so many things. Ironically, both reached out to me at the start of remote learning for help; they are older and not as comfortable with technology and needed help with a vast number of platforms. They weren’t sure how to use certain sites, how to connect with their students remotely, and how to ensure learning was “happening.”
If this has taught me anything, it’s this: my kid’s wellbeing comes first (yes, my kids, because all 140 of them are my kids). It comes before due dates and before essays and it comes way before common core. Social emotional education is, at its core, fundamental in teaching any subject. But, with ELA/English where we are constantly having thought provoking discussions and using artifacts and writing prompts that trigger and stimulate emotions, I need to make sure my kids are okay. Always. Also, it’s important to know what makes my kids “tick.” Whether it’s Instagram or TikTok, a Netflix series or music genre, a celebrity or YouTube channel. Knowing their interests can help me shape my teaching in order for it to remain and stay interesting and engaging to them. Using literacies that they know and love, and even teaching myself those literacies, create a dynamic and even fun classroom-even one that’s remote.
Creating projects and things that are dynamic and interesting to them is at my core as a teacher. Using the “5×5” model (thanks Karen!!!) I’ve had students turn in work who haven’t turned in an assignment all marking period because I carefully curated articles and playlists and videos I KNOW will reach them. It’s the little things, the little ways to show we care.
Throughout this remote learning experience, one of the many things I miss is the interaction that I would have with my students. I miss being able to laugh at ridiculous jokes with them or having to tell them for the hundredth time to focus on the work and leave the gossip for later. At times, I felt like I was so consumed with getting the lesson done on time or strictly following the curriculum, that I missed out or did not appreciate the little moments with them. Once I am back in the classroom, I definitely will not take those little moments for granted anymore and I will truly find the time within the schedule to build activities and lessons around my students’ interests that do not necessarily have to be school oriented.
After speaking to so many students over this difficult time, almost all of them miss the social interaction of school. I find myself being on the phone with the same student for over thirty minutes, in which I just allow them to vent about what has been going on in their days and what I can do to help them better manage their time or feel less stressed. In the beginning of this remote learning, I was so concerned with creating the perfect lesson or activity for my students, in order to keep them engaged and active in my lessons, but as the days keep passing by, I am mostly concerned about their well-being. Whenever I find myself struggling with this new way of life, I can’t help but think how my students are dealing with all of this at such a young age and becoming adjusted to a new norm. Thinking about the struggle they are facing has allowed me to start brainstorming activities for next year that will fit their social emotional needs, since that is one of the biggest concerns in the time we are living in right now.
Reducing harm as we are in the midst of a pandemic is a Herculean task. As harm swirls around us all, how can we mitigate the damage? And what ways can we recharge ourselves so we can be as present and as strong as our students need us to be?
I certainly have a heightened awareness of the financial difficulties many of my students face. I have a heightened awareness of the financial inequities of our society for that matter. We now know who didn’t have a computer before, who didn’t have wifi. We know which students have to work in this crisis to support their families. I’ve been doing a lot of outreach today so I am feeling this a bit more acutely today.
I spoke with one of my seniors this afternoon. He lost his father at a young age and suffers from depression. I called his house a couple of weeks ago and spoke to he and his mom about his lack of participation in online learning. They assured me he would get on top of things but he didn’t. When I spoke to him, I asked him if he was overwhelmed by all his classes and he told me no, he was just sad. Last week we didn’t have any new assignments so students could catch up. He said all he could do was think about how he lost his senior year. No prom, no graduation, no senior year: the culmination of all those years of school aren’t happening for these kids. And they’re sad. I couldn’t reduce his harm. I talked to him and said I was here for him if he ever wanted to talk but that seems like small consolation. He also has a girlfriend that I assume he can’t see anymore as well. What do you say?
At my school, we are told that if a student doesn’t show up to class, it is our fault. There has been a big push for outreach and I’ve been doing my best. I have a student who is bright but doesn’t like to work too hard. I’ve spoken with his mother in the past. I called for outreach and left a message. Other teachers called, as well. His mother emailed the school asking us to please stop calling. She said she’s asked him to do his work, she’s pushed him to complete his assignments. She said he got really angry at her. He’s threatened her. She’s afraid in her own home. I let the counsellor know but what do I make of all of this?
I wish I could reduce their harm. I feel ineffective. Even when I have a good interaction or reach a student in a way that feels meaningful, there are so many more…
Providing support to students from a distance has reaffirmed my belief that students need better access to supportive services and accommodations. Providing online materials to students who need individualized support was always a goal for us before distance learning, but not always supported by our schools or our fellow teachers. I hope that distance learning shows us that we can provide online materials for students, even when we return to the classroom. Something I’ve noticed working at the college level is the much increased flexibility when it comes to college policies, such as testing and grading. First of all, faculty and staff are much more available through email, paper forms can be submitted online, and previously booked advisors and faculty members have more hours open to meet with students. Overall, working with students who are so focused on their grades (but take extremely challenging courses) often involves me breaking the news to a student that they can’t graduate because they need to take a course for the second or third time (and usually pay for it again) to get a higher grade. While working from home, I’ve gotten to work closely with some of the college’s administration to consider how a letter grade may not successfully show a student’s knowledge of a topic. Prior to distance learning, the process to get a course with a low grade approved, or to approve an issue that was actually caused by misinformation, was extremely difficult for students. Being more available than usual and keeping all of our information in one place (online) has prevented the spread of misinformation for students, and allowed us to find issues and resolve them sooner than usual. Petitioning a low grade due to surgery or a family emergency can be exhausting and time-consuming. Now, we are being as flexible as we can, encouraging our students to graduate and really recognizing other signifiers of success other than grades.
Sometimes, it is difficult to think about what I would do differently as a teacher once I am back in the classroom, only because the experiences I had within the class were so limited, both me in my view of the students and the time that I was given with that student body. Taking notes on the things that I learn every week, some of the weeks that I plan on doing differently is changing grading policy, or changing my policies. The students don’t put enough stock in certain assignments because those assignments are more ‘difficult’ than the classwork and they think that one will cancel out the other. But this can also be chalked up to a lack of clarification and clear instruction by me in the beginning of the year. Another thing that should be addressed is being sure to be continuous in instruction across the board, especially for a grade team. Within my school the faculty is very familiar and we frequently talk about how to proceed with certain events, students, progress. It’s a intimate way to gauge students progress across the board. So being more insync with the team and implementing those rules and regulations from the beginning would be something that I will definitely do differently.
I have been playing with the idea of beginning some form of support group, a way for students to be able to speak and express themselves, especially for those students of mine who have gone off the grid since they have been doing remote learning because of bad home situations. It boosts my thinking that there should be more socioemotional awareness and resources for students, but also making those resources aware to them. Another teacher in my grade team has a “Quarantine and Chill” google meet that allows students, certain students, to pop in and out to interact with one another, play games, talk and interact as if they were in the classroom together. While this version of the meet has been a detriment more than helpful as students will spend all day playing games but having the appearance of doing work, I would like to include some form of support within the class once I return. Counseling, listening sessions, or even art therapy may be a great idea. Or a sunshine club for the kids.
Incorporating more technology into the students work would also be a great change that I would like to implement next year. I notice that a lot of my students are struggling with not just access but interacting online, both with the assignments and with one another. So incorporating technology, like peardecks, google drive graphic organizers, flipgrids, things that they can see on the board while working independently would be a great change from based on what I am seeing online.
My current context is one of distance, but close observation. I can only know the reality through my classmates, articles, and continuous perusal of sources available to me, and even then, I feel as though it couldn’t be enough unless I’m actually placed within that context. Still, I strive to gather information as a means of hope – another’s perseverance as motivations – which is particularly why I appreciate reading and listening to all of your experiences.
Reducing harm brings to mind a book of essays by bell hooks called killing rage: Ending Racism. In this collection, she describes her vision to eradicate racism and sexism through the recognition of the imbalance and absence of diverse voices. She describes the great psychological trauma racism has conceived and the authority of white supremacy as reflected in our media and histories. Through these traumas, rage is built, but she argues that through the acknowledgement that one can change, that one can be educated once they begin to think critically and really see the narratives of our society, we can create a “beloved community” that cherishes and embraces difference, rather than one that erases or condones.
I think it is important to acquire a kind of vision for ourselves – one that also reduces harm by acknowledging both the prominent and underlying issues prevalent in our students’ lives. By creating a space of respectful dialogue and inquiry, we might be able to achieve a space of healing. I know it is easier said than done, but keeping true to our ideas as instructors could potentially lead to healing. As bell hooks writes, “Those of us who are not cynical, who still cherish the vision of beloved community, sustain our conviction that we need such bonding not because we cling to utopian fantasies but because we have struggled all our lives to create this community” (264). As harm itself is a painfully struggle, so too can healing be. But creating a “beloved community” will allow us to grow.
Technology has been both a blessing and a curse since we began transitioning to remote learning and, in it’s current form, is still a double-edge sword. One of the first things that I want to do when I get back into the classroom is to ensure that I implement technology and specific programs (NearPod, CommonLit, Newsela, etc.) early on so that students can familiarize themselves with online learning combined with in-class instruction. These are things that should’ve been normed and made familiar to students way before we transitioned into remote learning. Even if students don’t have access to technology at home, there should be programming within the school to give students the opportunity to utilize iPad’s, computers, Chromebooks, etc., that the school has. It is essential not just to instruction, but also to give students the ability to work with technology that they may more than likely have to use at some point in an academic or job-related setting.
At the same time, this experience has made me aware that my own expectations that I placed on students may not have been achievable due to a lack of means or resources on the students part. Thus, I need to speed up the process of getting to know the essentials of who my students are, their family life if they are willing to share, what they may or may not have, and what they expect. This also ties into setting up strong relationships with the families of my students and connecting with them on a regular basis rather than an as needed basis. Building these relationships up early on in the year will be integral to improving the learning environment that my kids enter.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, I need to make sure that my students are mentally and emotionally well. I think that directly confronting the issues in a common-sense approach is the best avenue to go about doing this. “Softening” the dialogue around what has happened/is happening is not beneficial in my perspective; we all know what is going on, especially young people. This doesn’t mean that I won’t be sensitive or understanding if someone isn’t open to talking about it, but it is an integral part of the healing process. Sharing my own experiences may help with this.
I feel COVID19 has enhanced colonial harm towards marginalized, racialized, and otherwise vulnerable people–not simply limited to our students. I feel the invasion of our personal space inflicts this colonial harm, as it makes the differences amongst neighborhoods, homes, and apartments evident–aspects of student life that were left at the building entrance.
I think of how my students may feel often, in regards to this. When our time began, I had given them an “about me” assignment, with questions that discussed whether they had internet access at home, if they were comfortable with me contacting home–and I had an overwhelming response of students not having computers, internet access, or just indirectly saying “we can’t afford this.” It was because of this that I provided leniency for every assignment, to not need a computer.
I have tried to reduce harm as a teacher by breaking down the divisions of my students, in terms of access to resources and home life. When I return to the classroom, I feel the greatest strength I’ve had, and the only thing I truthfully know to reduce harm, will be to relate to my students. I do this through sharing the struggles I have experienced, and taking the time to listen and respond to each student, in an individualized way. It was never easy, and I invested more time outside of school (than I probably should have) to do this, but it built a bond that I truly miss each day we continue outside of the classroom. I feel this is an effective step towards reducing harm for my students, because it allows them to vocalize all that they’ve never felt comfortable sharing. Creating an inclusive, social-emotional learning environment, I feel, is an important aspect towards reducing colonial harm, as these initiatives help students recognize emotional behaviors that weren’t evident to them, and force critical-thinking towards the root of what they are feeling, and why.
The greatest difference, I as a teacher, will do once I am back in the classroom, is vocalize my appreciation of students. On our “last day” I had an urge just to take photos of my students when they acted goofy as we watched “The Great Gatsby.” I look at the photos and think–I didn’t realize this would be the last time I see them, in who knows how long. Furthermore, Letting my students know I am there for them, and care immensely–something I will also vocalize to a greater extent when we return to the classroom. I know I already did these things, but reflecting back at it, I wish I had done it more.